Art Historical Studies on Relic Ostentations and their catalogs

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From the late 15^<th> century to the beginning of the 16^<th> century many relic books, Heiltumsbuecher, and relic prints, Reliquienblatt, were published in many cities of Germany. The aim of this study is to investigate these books from art historical points of view. Also, because this kind of publication is not yet well-known in Japan, translating these books into Japanese is also a important purpose of this study. Through investigations at some European libraries, as Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nuremberg and Oestterreichsche Nationalbilbiothek etc., most of relic books, as of Nuremberg, Bamberg, Wurzburg, Vienna, Wittenberg and Halle, were minutely investigated. Also through publications other relic books from Trier, Hall and Aachen and relic prints of Andechs, Nuremberg and Augsburg are studied. While in the earlier relic books, of Nuremberg (1487, 1493), Wurzburg (1493) and Bamberg (1493) illustrations function merely as a sign, the illustrations of relic book of Vienna (1502) tried to represent each reliquary more realistic in detail. Then in the relic book of Wittenberg (1509) the illustrations are not more faithful reproductions of reliquaries, but Cranach's art works. In contrast to it the relic book of Halle (1521) is rather a faithful catalog of the collection of Albrecht von Brandenburg. Each relic books has each different function depending on the situation, the sponsor and the artist. It is expected to compare the results from this study with Japanese and East-Asian examples in the next stage of the study.